Computer and communication technologies continue to advance at a rapid pace. Indeed, computer and communication technologies are involved in many aspects of a person's day. For example, many consumer electronic devices being used today have a small computer incorporated within the device. These small computers come in varying sizes and degrees of sophistication. These small computers may vary in sophistication from one microcontroller to a fully-functional complete computer system. For example, small computers may be a one-chip computer, such as a microcontroller, a one-board type of computer, such as a controller, a typical desktop computer, such as an IBM-PC compatible, etc.
Modern electronic devices, including modern consumer electronic devices, typically have one or more processors. The processor(s) usually are interconnected to different external inputs and outputs and function to manage the particular device. For example, a processor in a video cassette recorder may be connected to buttons used to rewind, fast-forward, play, stop, eject, record, etc.
Many electronic devices, appliances, etc., include one or more small computers. For example, television (TV) sets, compact disc (CD) players, digital video disc (DVD) players, personal computer (PC) systems, set-top-boxes, video cameras, video cassette recorders (VCRs), radio receivers, tape decks, thermostats, furnaces, air conditioning systems, refrigerators, telephones, typewriters, automobiles, vending machines, and many different types of industrial equipment now typically have small computers, or processors, inside of them. Computer software runs the processors of these devices and tells the processors what to do to carry out certain tasks. For example, the computer software running on a VCR may cause the tape to stop playing when a user hits the stop button on the VCR or on the VCR's remote control.
The typical home entertainment system consists of a variety of different consumer electronic devices. For instance, home entertainment systems typically include a TV, a CD player, a set-top-box and a DVD player. Furthermore, other devices may be used in combination with a typical home entertainment system including personal computer systems, video cameras, VCRs, and the like.
With the increased use of electronic devices, and with the increased demands for the exchange of information, more devices are now able to be connected to one another and to establish electronic communications with one another. Many kinds of devices may benefit from being able to communicate with other devices without needing user intervention. Consumer electronics manufacturers have been working on specifications for connecting digital consumer electronic appliances in a home network so as to provide a standard for the audio/video electronics and the multimedia industries. The home network may be considered a distributed computing platform. One such specification or standard is represented by the HAVi (Home Audio/Video interoperability) architecture.
The HAVi architecture is designed to help different vendors manufacture products that can interoperate, i.e., cooperate to perform application tasks. As stated, many current consumer electronic devices, such as home entertainment equipment (DVD players, DV camcorders, digital TV sets, etc.) are digital processing and digital storage systems. Connecting these devices in networks makes it possible to share processing and storage resources. This allows coordination of the control of several electronic devices simultaneously. For example, a first device may start recording a television program on a second device while accessing an electronic program guide on a third device. The home network provides the means by which the various electronic devices in the home may be connected to communicate with one another.
As consumer electronic devices have become more complex, demand for the latest devices has increased. As new devices emerge and become popular they are purchased by consumers and connected to their home audiovisual systems or home networks. Consumers typically expect that once connected to the system or connected to a home network these new devices will be able to be controlled and operated within the system and/or the network.
There are many benefits in being able to connect electronic devices together such that they may communicate and work together. For example, information received by a television tuner may be used to set the time and program channels of a video recorder. The user may program a recording on a VCR through use of a menu generated by the TV on the TV screen. Further, such interoperability may allow the TV to generate a menu to interact with a number of device in the network using the TV's remote control. In this example, if the VCR is to record a program at a certain time, it could detect at recording time that the original tuner is not available (e.g. because it is already in use by another device or by a user). The VCR may then try to resolve this situation by trying to find another tuner in the system or on the network or by trying to negotiate with the other device or user to release the original tuner to the VCR.
In view of the foregoing, many kinds of devices may benefit from being able to communicate with other devices. However, as more devices attempt to communicate with one another, inefficiencies may arise that may slow down or otherwise hinder the operation of one or more of the electronic devices. For example, if one device were communicating one or more other devices at the same time, the operation of this device may slow down, or its communication with the other device(s) may slow down due to the demands being placed on the device. Thus, benefits may be realized if electronic devices were enhanced with additional systems and methods for providing more effective communication techniques.